Glimpse of Heartbreak
by kirayasha aka kira
Summary: Jakotsu’s fears get the better of him…


Title: Glimpse of Heartbreak  
Author: kira  
Rating: Older teen  
Characters: Ban/Jak

Genre, AU/Canon, etc.: drama, precanon  
Words: 1000  
Summary: Jakotsu's fears get the better of him…  
Warnings: Minor mention of blood and guts, character death

_Author's note: Special thanks to my beta, Jen for reading this over for me._

Tied for third place at LJ's IYhed comm..

888

Jakotsu was having the time of his life as he swung the Jakotsutou at his approaching Samurai. Heads rolled, blood sprayed everywhere, and bodies twitched in their death throws. He felt tired, bloodstained, and sweaty, yet deliriously alive as more samurai headed his way. Not even the sight of his companions falling one by one around him could dampen the twenty year old's day. He felt born to fight and invincible, until Bankotsu rushed towards him.

"Retreat!!" the seventeen year old cried as he raced past his paramour, leaving Jakotsu blinking in his wake. "Let's go, Jakotsu!!"

The cross-dresser didn't need to be told twice. Sheathing his sword, he turned and chased after his young lover as the advancing army swept towards them. Jakotsu, who should have easily caught up to Bankotsu, found the seventeen year old was always just out of reach no matter how fast he ran. Adding to his feelings of foreboding as they crashed through the woods, looking for an escape route that would lead them to safety, Jakotsu could not help feeling the two of them were heading into a trap. "Anikiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!! !!" he shouted.

Bankotsu ignored him. The seventeen year old, looked over his shoulder, grinning cockily at his paramour. "Come on, Sweetness, you're falling behind!" He laughed.

Jakotsu, who felt as though his chest was going to explode from the effort of running, tried redoubling his efforts to catch up. He could not for the life of him figure out why his young lover was running so fast and why he could not catch him. He huffed and puffed after the seventeen year old, who showed no sign of slowing down. "Wait!! Aniki-chan!!"

The younger boy paid him no mind as he sped on, nimbly leaping over the fallen trees; Jakotsu had to climb over, like they were nothing. He raced on, putting just enough distance between himself and his paramour to make him a tantalizing target for the twenty year old. "Hurry, Jakotsu!!"

"I'm… trying …too!!" the cross-dresser panted. He felt if he took one more step he was going to collapse, but fear for his young lover's safety as well as his own, kept Jakotsu running. Cursing as whip-like branches hit into him while he sped through the forest, the twenty year managed to dredge up a burst of speed. He chased after Bankotsu, reaching out to grasp the boy's braid, anything, as he was _that_ close, before the seventeen year old hurried just out of his reach. "Damn it!! Slow down, Aniki-chan!!"

Bankotsu raced on, laughing as he did so. It was like he was playing a game with the older boy and Jakotsu was beginning to get annoyed as his exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him. The seventeen year old's actions were getting more and more reckless by the minute, and the cross-dresser's feeling of impeding doom mounted with each step they took. While the sounds of the pursuing army retreated into nothingness, Jakotsu wanted to stop, and yet, they raced on. It was too quiet, when he stopped mentally cursing his young lover long enough to think about his surroundings.

They crashed through the forest into a large clearing. There up ahead of them was the army they had just faced. And yet, Bankotsu recklessly ran on, nimbly eluding the samurai who rushed forward to take him. Unable to go on, Jakotsu simply gave up and he was swarmed by samurai, who seemed to come up out of nowhere. Exhausted, he let them drag himself forward.

"Come on, Jakotsu! Let's go!!" Bankotsu's voice wafted on the breeze and the cross-dresser looked up at the sound of his name.

"Anikiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!" he cried as his young lover continued racing blindly forward. Jakotsu watched in horror as the general, mounted on horseback, sped forward, sword drawn. He leaned in the saddle, lowering his blade and holding it steady, as the seventeen year old blindly rushed forward, beheading himself. The cross-dresser wailed as the head went flying and Bankotsu's blood sprayed and his body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Jakotsu screamed. He bolted upright in the futon. Hand over his racing heart; he looked around blindly in the darkness surrounding their room as he fought to shake off the remains of his nightmare. He trembled, overcome with emotion, and he struggled weakly to get away from whoever had grabbed him until he realized it was only Bankotsu.

The seventeen year old held his paramour tight, whispering little wordless sounds of comfort. He let the older boy cry himself out as he wondered what had triggered such a violent nightmare. Nothing Jakotsu was muttering made any sense, as if he were so stupid as to let some idiot take his head. Sure they were facing a tough battle ahead as winter started to close in on them, but they had faced tougher enemies before, and besides, the mountainous terrain near Mount Hakurei offered plenty of places for ambush. Just because his castle had remained impenetrable did not mean that daimyo was a great warrior, as far Bankotsu was concerned, he had not met his match yet. Once the man was defeated, he would be that much closer to realizing his dream of becoming the most powerful man in Japan.

Jakotsu hiccupped and pulled away. "I'm sorry I woke you…" he choked out.

"It's okay… It was just a bad dream… and ummm," the younger boy briefly paused as he looked for the right thing to say. "Nothing bad's gonna happen. I'm going to be a shogun one day, you'll see." He had guessed correctly as his paramour giggled.

"I'm just being silly, hunh?"

"Nah… just cute like always. Now let's get some sleep. We're leaving in the morning on that mission and I want you well rested, you hear?"

The cross-dresser giggled again as they settled back down on the futon. Jakotsu sighed.

"Now what?"

"I can't sleep, Aniki-chan…"_ I'm afraid…_

"Just close your eyes, I'm here." Bankotsu kissed him.

"Night, Aniki-chan…"

"G'night…"


End file.
